In 1940s Detroit, pizza was picking up steam as a favorite
food. When a former employee of a local pizzeria brought his
recipe to the Polish owners of shield’s Bar, pies were quickly
added to the menu to feed hungry patrons. the bar—opened
in 1937—began to serve food in 1946 and found success
with the pizzas until selling the establishment to Deano
Moraitis in 1974. In 1992, Moraitis’ nephews, Paul and Peter
andoni, bought the business, and they continue the tradition
to this day. “our Detroit-style deep-dish pizza is the centerpiece of the menu, but we’ve expanded to appeal to a wider
variety of customers, with salads, appetizers, pasta, ribs,
burgers and sandwiches,” says Paul, co-owner of shield’s
franchise restaurants (shieldspizza .com) . “But when it
comes to the pizza, we don’t take any shortcuts—we use the
same recipes for sauce and dough that have been handed
down for years, and we’re proud to maintain the quality that
made shield’s famous . ”
today, shield’s has two locations in troy and southfield,
Michigan, plus a third franchise location, opened in nearby
Mccomb township in 2005. Despite the area’s recent hard-times economy, all three stores are going strong. It didn’t hurt
that the andoni brothers had plenty of real-world experience
(their father owned both a franchise and a family-style restaurant) as well as the education (degrees in marketing and
economics) to succeed. “We knew that shield’s was a well-respected, established name and brand, so we wanted to
grow and expand it,” Paul says . “We love this business—from
greeting the customers to building a team of great employees
that are doing the best job possible to satisfy our guests . It’s
in my blood!”
the payback has been significant: countless “best pizza”
awards, kudos from both local and national press, and expansion planned through additional franchising in Michigan. But
Paul insists that his greatest successes have centered around
giving back to the community. at the height of the recent
recession, the pizzeria fed free pizzas to unemployed locals .
When the Detroit Lions were winless in the first several games
of a season, shield’s promised free pizza to all when they
scored their first win . “We had lines around the buildings for
these events, but it’s more than a Pr stunt; it gives people
the opportunity to enjoy shield’s Pizza,” Paul says. “It’s great
to make a profit, but it’s more important to support the local
community. When you have that passion, you look forward to
coming to work every day.” —Tracy Morin

This Motor City institution is passionate about itspizza, but it’s also well-loved by the communityfor its heart.

Shield’s Pizza

De PartMent TIME CAPSULE

(Top to bottom) The original Shield’s location, pictured here in the

1970s, began as a bar that later added pizza to the menu; former
Shield’s owner Deano Moraitis (center) poses with Detroit Lions
receiver Charlie Sanders (left) and former Detroit Piston and current
Detroit mayor Dave Bing (right) in 1978.

Has your pizzeria been in business for 50 or more years?
If so, contact us at tracy@pmq.com.